Several years ago I attended a wine tasting hosted by the late Peter Coe, founder of local institution, Taste Unlimited. He was a larger than life character and passionate about many things, but especially wine. He talked about experiences and memories that weave their way into the enjoyment of wine. Someone in the group asked why wine doesn’t travel well. The example they used was that they enjoyed a particular wine so much on vacation that they purchased a few bottles to bring home. Once they opened the bottles at home, they didn’t taste the same. Mr. Coe laughed and explained that they did indeed taste identical, but it was the immersion in the vacation experience that was different. When you are passing the hours in a sidewalk cafe along the Amalfi Coast it’s not just the wine, it’s the sights, the sounds, the smells that all add to your enjoyment. While we can certainly try to recreate those experiences when we return home by drinking a special wine or recreating a dish that we ate on vacation the reality doesn’t live up to those memories.
Luckily we can cling to those memories for a lifetime. Travel memories are some of the best and most vivid memories for many of us. Just the mention of a city can transport us back to a moment in time. We can taste a dish that reminds us of a dinner, surrounded by friends and family, in a city half way around the world and decades ago. It is these travel experiences and memories that are ultimately the point of travel itself. When you immerse yourself in the local culture and experience the sites, sounds and flavors around the world you are left with much more than a vacation. These are the people who return home with a renewed vitality and wonderful stories of their travels. They can describe a destination in such detail and with such passion that you not only want to experience it for yourself, but for a brief moment can imagine yourself there. Anyone can be a tourist, but it takes a traveler to immerse themselves in the everyday lives of the local culture and really understand what they are experiencing. “Please be a traveler, not a tourist.”
The best part of my job is the opportunity to help clients realize their dreams of seeing the world.
Leave the details to me and you get to sit back, relax and enjoy the memories! Contact me or one of the other travel professionals at Slaydon’s Travel. We can make getting there as easy as being there!